Cap and package



April 23, 1935.

c. HAMMER 1,998,870

CAP AND PACKAGE Filed June 28, 1950 INVENTO'R Mar/ef Kammer ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 23, 1935 l l l UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEElc'E CAP AND PACKAGE Charles Hammer, New York, N. Y., assignor to Anchor Cap & Closure Corporation, Long r4 Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York i Application June 28, 1930, Serial No. 464,435

18 Claims. (Cl. 21S-40) The present invention relates to the sealing art seal which holds the cap upon the container inand more particularly to an improved cap and dependently of the gasket. 1 package. Another object of the invention is to provide Side seal closures are very popular in the seala closure cap adapted to form a secure seal on s ing art due to the tight seal which they are adapta package which may be readily l'eInOVed from a 5 ed to make on containers varying considerably Container. from a Standard size. Usually, a bead in the Another object of the invention ls to increase skirt of the cap is provided with a, gasket which the security of the seals made by side seal closures. is pressed rmly against the side wall of the con- Other and further objects of the invention tainer to hold the cap in placeand to form a will be obvious upon an understanding of the 10 hermetic seal on the container, The bead of illustrative embodiment about to be described, the cap may be reformed by suitable machinery or will be indicated in the appended claims, and in order to press the gasket against the oonvarious advantages not referred to herein will tainer and to secure a very tight seal. Packages OCCHI t0 One Skilled in the alt nnen employment v sealed in this manner are usually sterilized after 0f the inVentiOn in Praetiee- 15 being sealed; in other words, the products are A Preferred embodiment 0f the inVentiOn has packed in the packages and are thereafter heated been Chosen for purposes 0f illustration and dein a suitable retort to about 240 degrees Fahrenscriptien and iS ShOWn in the eeempanying heit, or some similar temperature, depending drawing. forming a Part 0f the Specification, up'on the products being sterilized. Such temwherein 20 peratures cause the formation of a pressure in Fig. l is a side elevational "view of the closure thevcontainer which exceeds the steam pressure Witli a gasket therein Portions there being vin the retort, thereby creating an unbalanced SllOWn in SeCtOn; Y

pressure tending to blow. the eapsfrom the oon- Fie. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating the tainers. In addition, the temperature softens the Closure Cap Sealed t0 a package. with parts shown 25 vulcanized gasket in the skirt of the cap to such in Section; and a point lthat the holding power of the cap is Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view greatly impaired, The result; is that many of with parts in section illustrating a package havthe caps pop off and the contents of these packing another form of closure thereon. ages are spoiled. Attempts have been made to Rfefeifing again t0 the drawing, there iS ShOWn 30 remedy this by utilizing air pressure in addition a Container i Which may be in the ferm 0f a to the steam pressure in the retort, whereby the tumbler With a Cylindrical Side Wall Sealing Snrpressures within the containers and the retort ieee 2 and an annular bead 4 immediately above are balanced. In some instances, the seals were the `Sealing Slllfaee 0f the C0ntaine1` The Side formed tighter upon the containers, but this wall 5 of the container, intermediate the bead l 35 caused a greater number of containers to be and Tim 3, iS tapered Substantially inward t0 broken during the sealing operation. Various facilitate the removal of the closure, as described types of special containers have been provided hefeineftelbut these were more expensive and not entirely The ClOSl-ne een ShOWn more particularly in 40 satisfactory. Figs. l and 2, may comprise a cover portion 1 40 The present invention aims to overcome the and a depending Skirt 3 With e bead 9 thelein difficulties enumerated above and tofprovide a adapted t0 leCeiVe and Seat a gasket l0. Prefvery inexpensive sealed package which is fully erably, the bead 9 iS 'et the lOWel Dart 0f the capable of withstanding the high temperatures Skirt 0f the Cep 92nd has its 10We1' Side formed necessary to processing, without impairing the by the edge 01' intlnned'bnttein 0f the Skirt. 45 seal. The invention also contemplates the Immediately abeve the bead 0f the Can there achievement of this result without increasing the is provided a Series 0f indentatiens Il which may cost of either the cap, the container or the sealing be 0f any Suitable form, here ShOWn'aS elongated equipment necessary. y and narrow. The length of the portions l2 of An object of the invention is to provide asealed the Skirt 0f the Cap intermediate the indenta- 50 package which is fully capable of withstanding tions Il may be increased or decreased, dependthe high temperatures necessary in processing, ing upon the amount of resilience desired in the without impairment of the seal, portion of the cap directly above the bead. v'The Another object of the invention is to provide longer the DOItiOnS i2 and the Shorter the indenan inexpensive package having a very secure tations Il, the less holding power this part of 55 the cap will have. The converse is likewise` true. The position of the portions Il with respect to the bead 4 on the container is'preferably such that the upper inner sides of the portions Il lock with the lower surface of the bead 4. With this type of cap, the gasket, when resting in the bead, as shown in Fig. 1, is adaptedv to clear the outer side wall of the container, including the bead 4, so that the cap rests loosely on the container prior to the sealing operation. Preferably, the indentations II engage the bead 4 slightly prior to the sealing operation.

It will be understood, of course, that the sealing operation may be relied upon to effect4 the locking engagement of the indentations II with the bead 4. It is preferred, however, to use, a combination of these two effects, that is, to have the indentations engage the bead slightly prior to the sealing operation and have this engagement increase during the sealing operation. In this way, when the package is sealed, the indentations I I will be forced rmly under the bead 4 to hold the cap in position. When the package is placed in a retort for processing or sterilization, the indentations I I, co-operating with the bead 4 on the container, are fully capable of holding lthe cap on the package irrespective of how soft the gasket I becomes or how little holding power it may have at the high temperatures. Furthermore, the form lock between the metal and the glass makes it unnecessary to maintain an equalized pressure condition within and withut the sealed containers. This will, of course, minimize the cost of the sterilzing equipment, redu the cost of operation, and increase the speed of the sterilizing operation. At the present time, great care must be utilized in bringing the ycontainers up to temperature and in reducing their temperature to prevent the caps from popping oif the containers.

The closure caps may.be very easily removed by the application of a cap opener with the jaw engaging the bottom of the skirt and the fulcrum the cover part of the cap. In this manner, the indentations II may be pulled over the bead 4 and, after clearing the bead, the tapered portion i of the container permits the cap to be readily removed without further stretching thereof.

In Fig. 2the indentations II are shown spaced slightly above the upper side of the bead of the cap. It will be understood, of course, that the position of the indentations may be varied considerably without interfering materially with the operation thereof. It is desirable, however, to have the bead 4 of the container positioned with respect to the indentations I I so that the indentations lock beneath the bead 4.

In Fig. 3, a slightly different embodiment is shown, wherein the upper side of the bead is pressed inwardly so that the lower side thereof is flared outwardly. This increases the size of the skirt ofthe cap at the bottom thereof and facilitates the application of the cap opener to the cap. There is ample space between the bottom of the skirt and the side wall of the container for engagement of the jaw of the opener therewith. The indentations II therein are shown directly adjacent the upper side of the bead. As illustrated, the lower sides of the indentations II are common to the upper side of the bead of the cap. The advantage in this type of construction is that the gasket I 0 is sealed directly below the bead 4 of the container, and thereby co-operates with the bead on the container to increase its holding power. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the gasket and indentations Il both co-operate simultaneously with the bead 4 on the container to hold the, cap in position. Where the indentations I I are considerably above the bead 8, the gasket may not contact with the bead 4 on the container, and its holding power, apart from the rest of the cap, isI slightly less than it is in the structure shown in Fig. 3.

In the sealing operation, the closure cap is mounted loosely over the mouth of the container, the projections I I engaging slightly with the bead 4 on the container. Thereafter, the sealing chuck is applied, which presses downwardly on the cover part of the cap to press it firmly on the container and to hold it in this position while suitable jaws or spinning tools are utilized to reform the bead in the closure cap, thereby extruding the gasket from the bead against the side wall of the container. The reformation of the bead of the cap reduces the size of the skirt of the cap and brings the projections II more firmly into locking engagement with the bead 4 on the container, whereby the cap is held in position by both the rmechanical seal between the metal and the bead on the glass container and the hermetic seal between the gasket and the container. In the removal operation, a cap opener is applied to the cap to raise one side of the cap about the other and to stretch the skirt of the cap over the bead 4, after which the tapered bevelled surface 5 permits free movement of the cap upward. This reduces the amount of stretching necessary to clear the upper edge of the container.

It will be seen that the present invention provides an inexpensive closure cap and sealed package which are fully capable of withstanding the high temperatures and pressures desirable in processing operations. 'Ihe packages are adapted to minimize or eliminate the additional air pressure within the retort in the sterilizing operation and are also adapted to minimize the number kof packages lost or spoiled during the processing or sterilizing operation. The several objects are a"chieved without increasing the cost of the cap or the package and without complicating the sealing operation. The increased security of the seal renders the package better adapted for the rough usage to which it may be subiected.

As various changes may be made in the form. construction and arrangement of the parts herein^without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 4

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A sealed package comprising a container having an annular outward extension beneath the rim thereof, a closure cap having a cover portion anda depending skirt, the lower edge of the skirt of said cap being turned inwardly to support a gasket. a gasket in said skirt, and a plurality of spaced elongated projections in the skirt of the cap in engagement with the extension on the container.

2. A sealed package comprising a container having an annular bead adjacent the upper'end thereof, a closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt, said skirt having means to receive a gasket, a gasket in said skirt engaged with the container below said bead, and means in the skirt of the cap engaging 'the bead to cooperate with the gasket vto hold the cap cn the container, said cap being removable from the container by raising one side of the cap over the side of the container.

3. A sealed package comprising a container having a substantially, cylindrical` sealing surface, an annular bead above said sealing surface, a closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt, a gasket in'the lower part of said skirt, and means on said cap above said gasket engaging the bead on the container to co-operate with the gasket to hold the cap in position, said cap being removable from the container without removal of the gasket from the bead.

4. A sealed package comprising a container having a substantially cylindrical side wall sealing surface, a bead above said sealing surface, the outer side wall of the container being tapered inwardly adjacent the rirn of the container to facilitate removal of the closure cap, a closure cap having a cover portion and a. depending skirt, means formed in the skirt interlocked with said bead, and a gasket in the skirt of the cap engaging the container below said bead.

5. A sealed package comprising a container having a bead adjacent the upper end thereof, a bevelled surface intermediate said bead and the rim of the container, a closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt, a gasket in the skirt of the cap, said skirt being reformed to extrude the gasket against a container, and means above the gasket engaging the bead on the container to hold the cap in position.

6. A sealed package comprising a container having an annular bead adjacent the upper end thereof, a closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt, adapted to be applied to the container without rotation thereof, a bead adapted to receive a gasket in the skirt of the cap, a gasket in said bead, and indentations in the skirt of the cap above said bead engaging and locking with the bead on the container.

7. A sealed package comprising a container having an annular bead thereon and a sealing surface below the bead, a closure cap having s, cover portion and a depending skirt, a bead in the skirt of the cap adapted to receive a gasket,

a gasket in said bead, said bead being reformed to extrude the gasket against the side wall of the container, and indentations in the skirt of the cap engaging the bead onl the container, the reformation of the bead pressing the indentations further inward to lock with the bead of the container.

8. A sealed package comprising a container having an annular bead adjacent the upper end thereof. a sealing surface below said bead, and an inwardly tapered surface above the bead, a closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt, a gasket in the lower part of said skirt, and indentations above said gasket engaging the bead on the container to assist in holding the cap thereon, the lower part of said skirt being reformed to press the gasket firmly against the container, said reforming operation being adapted also to constrict said indentations into firi'ner` locking engagement with the bead on the container, the tapered part of the container heinz adapted to facilitate the removal of the cap from the container.

9. A sealed package comprising a container having a projection adjacent the upper endl thereof, and -a closure cap having indentations in the skirt 4thereof engaging said projection, and s bead in theskirt provided with a gasket, said bead being reformed to compress the gasket to engage the container, said bead being adapted to be pried outwardly to release the cap and said indentations being adapted to re-engage said projection after the cap has been removed, to provide means for resealing the cap to the container.

10. A sealed package comprising a container having a projection adjacent 'the upper end thereofY and a closure cap having indentations in the skirt thereof engaging said projection, a bead in the skirt provided with a gasket being reformed to form a hermetic seal upon the container, said bead being adapted to be pried outwardly to break the hermetic seal, and said indentations being adapted to be snapped over said projection after the cap has been removed, to provide means for resealing the cap to the container.

11. A sealed package comprising a container having an outward extension beneath the rim thereof, a closure cap having a cover portion, a depending skirt, a bead in the skirt of the cap, a gasket in said bead, said bead being reformed to compress the gasket against the container, and a plurality of separate locking projections in the skirt of the cap above the gasket adapted to engage beneath said extension to hold the cap on the container.

l2. A sealed package comprising a container having a sealing zone provided with an outwardly extending bead and a closure cap having a skirt portion provided with inwardly extending projections forced over and engaging said bead and a reformed bead in said skirt having a gasket therein secured on the sealing zone below said bead on the container.

13. A sealed package comprising a container having means providing a sealing rib thereon, a cap hermetically sealed upon said container by reforming a portion of the skirt thereof and means formed in the skirt of the cap for engaging said rib upon said container whereby means for resealing the cap to the container are provided.

14. The method of sealing a closure cap having inwardly extending projections adapted to engage a rib on a container, and having a gasket seated in a bead below the projections, which method comprises placing said cap upon the con# tainer, moving said cap downwardly without rotation thereof to force the projections on the cap beneath the rib on the container to provide a temporary snap-on seal, and thereafter constricting the bead to compress the gasket against the container to provide a hermetic seal.

15. The method of sealing a closure cap having inwardly extending projections adapted to engage a rib on a container and having a gasket seated in a bead below the projections. which method comprises placing said cap on the container, snapping the projections over the rib on the container to provide a temporary seal. thereafter constricting the bead to press the gasket against the container to provide a hermetic seal, and setting said projections further radially inwardly to lock them beneath the rib on the container.

`16. A closure cap removable from s container without rotation thereof, comprising a cover portion, a depending skirt having its lower edge turned inwardly to support a gasket, a gasket in the lower portion of the skirt of the cap lupported by said inturned edge, and an inwardly extending rib formed in said skirt. said rib ex. tending circumferentially about said skirt and being discontinued at a plurality of portions to provide a plurality of relatively long narrow ribs for snapping over a rib on a container to lock the cap thereon'.

17. A closure cap comprising a cover portion, a. depending skirt, a bead in said skirt, the bottom of the cap extending inwardly to form the bottom of the bead and to support agasket, a gasket in said bead, and an inwardly extending rib of substantial depth formed in said skirt above said bead, said rib being discontinued at a plurality of portions to provide a plurality of relatively long narrow ribs slightly below the cover portion and at equal distances therefrom for locking the cap on a container, said locking ribs being of greater circumferentiallength than Vsaid l.

discontinued portions.

18. A closure capv comprising a cover portion, a depending skirt, a plurality of 'relatively long circumferentially extending rib portions i'ormed in said skirt for locking the cap on a container all of said rib portions being substantially the same CHARLES HAMMER. 

